Lady Comets can clinch WVC D-I title tonight

JAMIE PESOTINE/Staff Photographer
Crestwood's Rebecca Rutkowski, left, is surrounded by Hazleton Area's Mackenzie Yori, middle, and Becky Marchetti (12) during their Jan. 16 meeting at Crestwood, won by the Lady Cougars 63-60. The two WVC basketball rivals will square off again this evening at Hazleton Area High School.

First-year head coach Pat Brogan and the Crestwood girls basketball team can sew up the Wyoming Valley Conference Division I championship this evening, when the Lady Comets pay a visit to rival Hazleton Area in this, the final week of the regular season.

The Lady Comets (16-4) enter the game with an 11-1 conference record, their lone loss coming at the hands of Hazleton Area (63-60) back on Jan. 16 in Wright Township. Since then, Crestwood has reeled off eight straight wins, including last week's 52-51 victory over Pittston Area that clinched a tie for the Division I title.

The Lady Comets can claim the division championship outright with a win tonight at Hughie McGeehan Gymnasium.

Standing in the way is rival Hazleton Area (14-6), which is currently tied with second-place Pittston Area at 9-3 in WVC Division I play. Hazleton Area's three conference losses (Pittston Area twice, Wyoming Valley West) have been by a combined eight points. The Lady Cougars are fresh off a 62-53 win at Valley West, and have won three straight since a 42-39 homecourt loss to Pittston Area late last month.

The Lady Cougars would need a win tonight, a victory at Berwick Wednesday, and a Tunkhannock upset of Crestwood on Wednesday to forge a tie for the D-I title and force a playoff.

Crestwood can make that scenario a moot point with a win tonight. The Lady Comets are trying to capture their second-ever WVC Division I crown and first since the 2010-11 campaign, when current seniors Rebecca Rutkowski, Maury Cronauer and Taryn Wojnar were freshmen. Those three, along with sophomore star Maddie Ritsick and junior Dallas Kendra have been the keys to the Lady Comets' success this season.

Rutkowski, a six-foot all-state player and East Stroudsburg University recruit, patrols the paint for the Lady Comets. She averages 15.2 points per game and is a rebounding and shot-blocking machine. Cronauer (4.3 ppg) is the team's point guard and a defensive catalyst, and Wojnar (4.4 ppg) is a long-distant threat, second on the team with 21 three-pointers.

Ritsick, a 5-11 forward, is a rising star and an all-state candidate as well. She leads the team in scoring (18.8 ppg), three-pointers (25) and free throw shooting, converting 95 of 120 free throws (79.2 percent) this season.

Junior Heather Muse and sophomore Abbie Macko, both 5-foot-8, are the first players off Brogan's bench.

The Lady Cougars of veteran head coach Joe Gavio have gone 12-3 after a 2-3 start to their season, led by the play of senior guard Alyssa Sitch. The 5-foot-3 guard leads the team in scoring (16.7 ppg) and three-pointers (58), and is coming off a 27-point performance in last week's big win at Valley West. Sitch has reached double figures in 18 of the team's 20 games, and has at least one three-pointer in all 20 contests.

She is joined in the backcourt by sophomore Mackenzie Yori (10.9 ppg, 21 3FG), a consistent double-figure scorer and, along with Sitch, a key to the Lady Cougars' vaunted press.

In their first meeting at Crestwood last month, Sitch scored a career-high 28 points, Yori added 15 more and Wolk chipped in 10 in the three-point victory. Hazleton Area outscored Crestwood 20-16 in the fourth quarter, with Sitch nailing down the win by converting 10-of-13 free throws in the period.

Ritsick scored 27, Rutkowski had 17 and Wojnar a season-high 13 points and four three-pointers for Crestwood.

Regardless of tonight's outcome, both teams will be high seeds for the upcoming District 2 playoffs, Crestwood in Class 3A and Hazleton Area in quad-A.

We welcome user discussion on our site, under the following guidelines:

To comment you must first create a profile and sign-in with a verified DISQUS account or social network ID. Sign up here.

Comments in violation of the rules will be denied, and repeat violators will be banned. Please help police the community by flagging offensive comments for our moderators to review. By posting a comment, you agree to our full terms and conditions. Click here to read terms and conditions.